Top Kindle Biographies and Memoirs: Voices from the Past.

“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours”
― Alan Bennett, The History Boys: The Film

There is something comforting in looking back to the past…knowing that there is nothing new under the sun. Whatever your life holds right now, there is someone who has been there before you, and written it down for posterity. Whether that someone lived 20 years ago, 500 years ago or is still with us today, they have something to say to future generations.

Amazon’s Best Kindle Biographies and Memoirs section is the perfect place to find the voices from the past. With biographies of people from all walks of life, and memoirs from the good, the bad and the hilariously inappropriate, you are certain to find something that will let you curl up and escape, even just for a little while. Here are some of our favorites, in no particular order:

Amy Poehler is, in a word…hilarious. She’s the “girl-next-door” that makes us all roar with laughter–and feel like we could sit down and have cookies and coffee with her. “Yes Please” is her first book, a look at life, love and words to live by that will make you laugh, cry and think All The Thoughts before you’re finished.

Theodore Roosevelt is simply one of the grandest figures that the world has ever known. Larger-than-life, charismatic and a born leader, he rocketed to power at the turn of the 20th century and left his mark on a country that still doesn’t quite know what hit it. This sweeping narrative gives the reader insight into the man who led the charge up San Juan Hill, Cuba…and gave us the teddy bear.

For many, the atrocities committed during WWII are as fresh as if they had happened yesterday. When the horrific truth came to light, the world was left with a terrifying truth that could not be ignored. While some of those involved were brought to swift justice, many more simply faded into the background…and made their way to the US where they lived for decades as ordinary citizens…with a horrific past. Their presence was a well-kept secret until some investigative journaling and a quest for the truth finally brought them into the light, and put an end to the charade.

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 The war in the Middle East is seemingly never-ending, but no matter which side you’re on it is impossible to deny that there are real men there, fighting to preserve our freedom and way of life. This is the true story of Martin Luttrell, a Navy SEAL who was the lone survivor of a mission known as Operation Redwing. For the first time he tells his heroic story of the firefight, the lost of every one of his teammates, and the harrowing journey back to civilization…and life…that has left it’s mark on him forever.

New Orleans is a city of contrasts. The city that gave us jazz and Bourbon Street is a hotbed of crime, immorality, prostitution…in short it is truly unlike any other city in the world. This is one man’s story of his single-handed crusade to rescue New Orleans from itself and preserve the rich culture and heritage that make it so unique.

Abigail Thomas watched her husband Rich walk out the door to take their dog, Harry, for a walk. She had no way of knowing that he would never walk back in. Hit by a car, left with a traumatic brain injury that forced Abigail to institutionalize him for the rest of his life, Rich was left with a shattered brain…and Abigail was left with a shattered life. This inspirational story of how she left the life that she had known, moved closer to Rich and began the process of putting her life back together is a true testimony to the strength of the human spirit…and the power of love.

Jeannette Walls is a regular contributor to MSNBC, and a published author. Here is the true story of how she rose above circumstances that might have killed better women…and made something out of a life that most people would have considered lost before it was begun. Growing up with their dysfunctional parents, Walls and her siblings learned that if they wanted to make their lives count, it would have to be done on their own. The Glass Castle is an amazing read that will leave you wanting more.

The late Maya Angelou is one of our most revered authors. Growing up poor, sent to live with her grandmother, attacked as a child…her life could easily have taken another trajectory. Angelou chose to rise above her circumstances, cling to her faith in God and free herself from the prison that society would have her to believe was her destiny.

Ben Mattlin was born in 1962 with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a congenital muscle-wasting disease. Not expected to survive infancy and born into a world where people with disabilities were largely still marginalized, Ben triumphed over his challenges and became a driving force for those with disabilities. He graduated from Harvard and is a regular contributor for NPR, proving once again that the will to live can overcome even the most daunting of circumstances.

Henrietta Lacks died in 1951 from cancer…and she lives on today. A poor black woman from the tobacco farms of Virginia, Lacks cancer cells were taken without her knowledge and consent, and have been used in medical research ever since. While her descendants live in abject poverty, with no claim on the piece of their mother and grandmother that is still alive, medical science continues to use Henrietta Lacks cancer cells (known as HeLa cells) to work toward cures for diseases such as polio…but at what moral cost?

This is but a sampling of what is available on the Biographies and Memoirs Kindle Books pages. Whether you are looking for a feel-good story about someone overcoming insurmountable odds, a war story of heroism and bravery, a memoir that makes you laugh out loud or just looking to connect with a past that seems so very far away, you are certain to find something that will peak your interest and leave you feeling wholly satisfied…even if just for a little while. And don’t take our word for it–spend some time browsing the extensive collection of books assembled on Amazon’s pages and see what makes you curl up and lost yourself in the past.

bestereaderreview.org is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com